Sustainable Travel

STARS – Sustainable Travel: Active, Responsible, Safe

STARS is TFL's accreditation scheme for London schools and nurseries. STARS inspires young Londoners to travel to school sustainably, actively, responsibly and safely by championing walking, scooting and cycling.

STARS supports pupils' wellbeing, helps to reduce congestion at the school gates and improve road safety and air quality.

We currently have the Gold Accreditation at Foster’s.

Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSOs)

We have an active JRSO team, consisting of two Year 6 pupils: Adam and Harleen, and two Year 5 pupils: Mel and Tom. They regularly meet with Sally Barrett (Road Safety Officer for Bexley Council) to discuss how we can promote sustainable travel, whilst staying safe at the same time. The JRSOs have lead assemblies and competitions, and made traveling safer for the school.

Bikeability is today’s cycle training programme. It’s like cycling proficiency, but better! It’s about gaining practical skills and understanding how to cycle on today’s roads. Bikeability gives everyone the skills and confidence for all kinds of cycling.

There are three Bikeability levels, each designed to improve cycling skills, no matter what is known already. Levels 1, 2 and 3 take trainees from the basics of balance and control, all the way to planning and making an independent journey on busier roads. Each year, Year 6 pupils take part in the training.

This year we have a very exciting new programme, Balanceability, for our Reception children. Balanceability combines unique ergonomic balance bikes with a schedule of fun activities that build confidence, spatial awareness and dynamic balance skills enabling young children to cycle without ever needing stabilisers.

Pedestrian Skills Training

Through the introduction of child pedestrian training in Year 3 it is envisaged that a lifelong process of learning how to interact with roads and other road users will begin. We need to equip children with the skills and knowledge required to ensure their safety as pedestrians.

The main objectives of the scheme are:

raise children’s awareness of the road environment

reduce children’s pedestrian risk behaviour

establish a form of practical training that improves child pedestrian safety

aid the development of children’s road safety vocabulary, skills, knowledge and attitudes – appropriate to their age and development

enable identification of safer and less safe places to cross the road

develop perceptions of speed and distance

understand the many dangers in the road environment

Our Year 3 pupils will be completing the Pedestrian Skills Training around our local roads. This is delivered by Teachers and Teaching Assistants, and lead by Mr Johnson and Mrs Moore.

Pupils are given a certificate for completion, designed by our very own Eve Driscoll in Year 4.

2016-2017:

Be Bright Travel Right

Year 6 also watched a play about how to travel to secondary school safely. This allowed them to:

Understand the potential dangers of being unsafe while using the road network.